Method of burning liquid fuels.



i H.L.DOHERTY.

METHOD OF BURNING LIQUID FUELS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1911. a

l lgl ysg Patented June 80,1914.

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35 1, 71. 5S Quorum M%v7 H. L. DOHBRT Y. METHOD OF BURNING LIQUID FUELS. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1911.

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i WEEM or NEW Y RK, N. Y.

- 0F BIfgNING LIQUID FUELS.

-tp, ue a r L t r re t- Patented June 30, 1914..

" mplication fled January 10, 1am. Serial No. 601,795.

To all whom a may ooaceru Be it known-.thatf, HENRY L; DOHERTY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York cityfin the county of New certain'new and useful Improvements in Methods of- BurningLi' uid Fuels, the following is a spec' cation;

' This inventionrelates to methods of*burn-' ing liquid fuels and, in particular, to methods of'burning such fuels to roduce a comparatively smokeless flame 0 "moderate temperature.

The object of my invention is to so improve the present known methods ofi-burn; ing fuels of the-class mentioned as to adapt them for the heatin ofliilns, furnaces, etc, in which flames of relatively low temperature but of quired;

To this end my invention consists, briefly stated, in first atomizing the liquid hydrocarbonby a jet of air under pressure; second, conducting. the mixture 'of atomized hydrocarbon'andair into a primary combustion chamber and there subjeeting it'to a partial combustion, whereby the said atomized liquid. hydrocarbon is wholly converted into gaseous products; third, in burning the combustible constituents of -the gasmixture from the primary combustion in a secondary combustion chamber, or kiln, shaft, by mix: ingtherewith, a mixed draftl current ofair 7 and non-combustible gases, whereby the combustible constituents'pf the mixture are burned with the productlon of-a long, slowburning flame of relatively great volume.

In the accompanying. drawings have. shown in rather diagrammatic form an'apparatus capable of carrying .out my, invention in the burning of limestone.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a partial, vertical, diametral cross section ofthe apparatus, while Fig. 2 is adiagrammatic side elevation of'.the apparatus.

lis the kiln shaft, 2'is the primary combustion or gasifyinglchamber, 3 the secondary combustion chamber, 4 the checker- Work of highly refractory fircbrick in the chamber 2,. while 5 is a corresponding checker-work in the chamber Ell The arrangement of the combustion chalnbcrg and checkers is diagrammatic in character but is suflicient forthe purpose of illustrating this specification.

(3 is an atomizing or spraying nozzle of any approved pattern.

which great heating capacity are re- 7 is the oil supply conduit (as shown an ordinary pipe), 8 the conduit carrying the 1 compressed air for atomizing the oil and for supportlng the primary combustion. York and State of New York, have invented 9 is the horizontal conduit or pipe connecting conduits 'Z and '8 with the nozzle 6.

10 is a dampered inlet for air when it is not desired to compress all of the primary air and use it in the atomization of the hydrocarbon.

11 is the pipe through which the mixture ofair and combustion gas (in this case an air and kiln gas mixture) is forced to sustain the secondary combustion. 12 is a valve on conduit- 11 18 and; 14' are valves on the oil and air conduits, 7 and, 8,1'espec'tively.

15 is the bridge wall of grate of-the same.

1'7- and" 18 are metal; plates laid on the grate and forepart of the furnace hearth. l-he plates 17' and 18 are laid so as to leave an open slot-, 1-9, between them for the passage ,ofthe secondary current from the ashpit, 20, to the, chamber 3'. A. layer of sand, fireclay, or other refractory material 21, is spread on the plates 17" and .18 to protect Itohem from the heat of the combustion chamers.

22 is a blower, preferably of the positive pressure type, supplying under pressure the air required to atomize the oil.

23 isa tank for storing the oil used;

24is' a blower for supplying the mixture of air and kiln, gas to the secondary combustion chamber 3, while, 25 is an air damper on the suction pipe' 26 ofthe blower 24:: for regulating the proportion ofair in the draft current,

The air entering-the furnace through the pipe 8 I;will designate the. primary air the air entering through the pipe 11 the secondary air The mixed current of air and-non-combustible, gases from.11 I will call the secondary draft current.

The method of'opcrating the apparatus is as follows: Air is turned on from the pipe 8 by opening the valve 14: and ;oil from the pipe 7 In passing through the nozzle 6 the oil is divided .into a veryline mist or reduced to the so-called atomized condition As it issues from the nozzle 6 the mixturdiifajr and atomized .oil is ignited the furnace, 16 the and permittedto burn in the chamber 2. At

chambers 2 and 3 and the walls of the chambers have been brought up to a good working temperaturesay 2000 to 2200 F.the apparatus is in condition'to carry out my process.

The primary air is gradually reduced and the secondary draft current turned on from the pipe 11. The reduction of the primary air results in the incomplete combustion of the oil in passing through 2, the unconsumed Constituents being burned in 3 by the oxygen of the secondary draft current. When the prima air has been cut down to the point at which further reduction produces no further diminution in the percentage of CO in the gases from chamber 2 the proper proportion of air to oil in the primary current will have been established. I11 practice, this point can be determined by a competent operator from the appearance of the flame in the primary combustion chamber. When normal conditions have been established the draft current passing from chamber 2 to chamber 3 will consist of gasifiedv hydrocarbons, free hydrogen, steam, carbon monoxid and nitrogen with just as much CO as'is essential for equilibrium under the conditions in chamber 2. This percentage will vary'more or less but I find that it is possible to so conduct the gasifying action in chamber 2 that the gases will not carry more than 5% of G0 Working in the manner above described I find it possible to completely gasify the hydrocarbon oil in 2 so as to produce alarge proportion of permanent gases which so dilute the undecomposed hydrocarbons remaining that in'the second stage of combustion I am able. to efi'ect the combustion of the gas with the production of little or no smoke.

In the burning in the second combustion chamber 3 of the gases from the primary. combustion, the quantity of secondary air should be so regulated as to supply for the combustion a considerable excess of oxygen 'over that which is theoretically required.

I gases that will be required in the secondary combustion to produce this efiect will de pend upon the character of the gas mixture leaving the primary checker-work. This, in turn, will depend upon the nature of the oil used and upon the proportion of air to oil used in the primary combustion. Usually, the proportion of kiln gas used in the I secondary current will be from 15 to 50 per cent, by volume, the remainder being free air.

By conducting the combustion of heavy oils according to my invention in the man ner described above, I am able to use such fuels in furnaces, kilns, etc, requiring a low combustion temperature with the same safety and certainty of regulation as can be secured when using fuels, such as producer gas, of low calorific intensity. Besides, by so reducing the flame temperature, I do away with the rapid deterioration and burning out of the furnace walls, ironwork, etc, which invariably follows the burning of oil in the customary way and with air alone.

In addition to the above advantages, my

invention possesses the important advanhydrocarbons by a jet of air under pressure,

conducting the mixture of atomized hydrocarbons and air into a refractory-walled chamber, subjecting the hydrocarbons of said mixture to'partial combustion in said chamber to convert said hydrocarbons into combustible gases and to heat the gases prcduced to a comparatively high temperature, introducing into the hot combustible gases produced by said artial combustion a further portion of air diluted with gases derived from the decomposition of said ma terials, whereby the gases produced by said partial combustion are subjected to slow combustion, and conducting the slowly burning gaseous mixture into contact with said materials.

2. The process of burning liquid hydrocarbons to effect decomposition of materials, which comprises subjecting said hydrocarbons to the action of a jet of air under pressure, whereby the said hydrocarbons are converted into a mist'uniformly disseminated throughout the said primary air, conducting the hydrocarbon laden air into contact with a mass of refractory material, subjecting the said hydrocarbon mist to partial combustion to convert the same 'into hot combustible gaseous products, mixing with the saidhot gaseous products sufiicient secondary draft current to burn substantially all combustible constituents of said gaseous products, and subjecting the resulting mixture to combustion to produce a long flame of moderate temperature, the said secondary draft current comprising a mixture oi air and gases derived from the decomposition of said materials, the relative proportions of the said constituents of said secondary draft current being regulated to produce a flame of the length and temperature desired,

3. The process of burning liquid hydrocarbons to effect decomposition of materials, which comprises, subjecting said liquid hydrocarbons to the action of a current of primary air under pressure to convert the said hydrocarbons into a mist disseminated with substantial uniformity throughout said primary air current, conducting the hydrocarbon laden air into contact with refractory material and subjecting the said hydrocarbon mist to partial combustion by said primary air to produce combustible gaseous products, the proportion of primary air to hydrocarbon being regulated to the proportion which will burn said hydrocarbon with the production of a practical minimum proportion of carbon dioxid in the said gaseous products, mixing with the said gaseous products an excess of secondary draft current, and burning the resulting mixture with a long flame of moderate temperature, the said secondary draft current comprising a mixture of air and ases from the decomposition of said materials, the relative proportions of the said constituents of said mixture being regulated to produce the length and temperature of flame desired.

4. The process of burning liquid hydrocarbons to decom ose materials, which comprises, atomizing sai liquid hydrocarbon with a current of primary air under pressure to produce a mixture of air and atomized hydrocarbon,

conducting the said mixture into contact with refractory material, subjecting the said mixture to artial combustion to produce hot combustible gaseous products, the proportion of the said primary air to the said hydrocarbon being regulated to that proportion required to convert the said liquid hydrocarbon into the gaseous state, introducing into the gaseous roducts of the primary combustion a secon ary draft current, the said secondary draft current comprising a mixtur in regulated proportions of air and gases from the decomposition of said materials, and subjecting the said mixture of combustible gaseous products and secondary draft current tocombustion in contact with said materials.

5'. The process of burning liquid hydrocarbons to effect decomposition of materials, which comprises, atomlzing said liquid hydrocarbon with a current of air under pressure to produce a primary draft current comprising a mixture of atomized hydrocarbon and air in regulated proportions, subjecting said draft current to primary combustion to produce hot combustible gaseous products, the proportion of air to hydrocarbon in said primary draft current being re stricted to that proportion required to efl'ect the substantially complete gasificat-ion of said hydrocarbon by semi-combustion thereof, introducing into the hot combustible gaseous products of the said primary air an excess of secondary draft current and subj eating the resulting gaseous mixture to slow secondary combustion in contact, first, with heated refractory material and finally with the materials undergoing decompositiomthe said secondary draft current comprising a mixture of air and gases from the decomposition of said materials, the relative proportions of air to said gases of decom osition in the said secondary draft current being that pro ortion required to produce the speed of com ustion and flame temperature desired,

6. The process of burning liquid hydrocarbons which comprises, atomizing said liquid hydrocarbon with a 'jet of primary air under pressure to produce a primary draft current comprising regulated proportions of liquid hydrocarbon and air, subjecting the said primary draft current to primary combustion in a refractory-walled region to produce hot combustible aseous products, the relative proportion 0 air to hydrocarbon in the said primary draft current bein that proportion which will efi'ect the complete gasification of said hydrocarbon in said primary combustion, in part by artial combustion of the sane and in part by vaporization of the same by heat developed by said partial combustion, introducing into and mixing with the hot gaseous products of said primary combustion an errcess of a secondary draft current comprising a mixture of air and non-combustible gases, and subjecting the resulting mixture to comparat-ively slow secondary combustion in contact first with heated refractory material and finally in heat-transferring relationship with materials to be heated, the proportion of said noncombustible gases constituting from 15 to 50% by volume of the said secondarydraft current, the remainder bein a1r. v

Signed at l ew York city in the, county of New York and State of New York this 9th day of January A. D. 1911.

HENRY L. DOHERTY.

Witnesses Tnos. l. CARTER, W. J. QUENTIN. 

